A lifer expat mummy in Kuwait blogging on things to do in Kuwait for kids and adults, places to visit, fun and cultural events, general info, shopping bargains and interesting stuff. Email: LWDLIK@gmail.com

New workshop! Introduction to Figure Sculpting with artist Abdallah Nabelse (@randomsculptures). During the 2-day workshop, participants will be introduced to basic sculpting techniques and tools, allowing them to create simple figure sculptures using oil/wax-based and polymer clay. Anatomy, proportions, and composition will also be studied.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

A winter bazaar will take place on the 31st of January from 9am to 9pm at SIRBB Circuit.There will be a kids section with bouncy castles, snacks, movies and games.Go-kart races will start at 5 PM and end at 6:40 PM.Music will be hosted by DJ X @dj_x_official all throughout the bazaar.@daffrecords will be performing a live show from 7-8!For any inquiries/information:Instagram: @generationz_kwTelephone: +965 69909387Email: Generationzkw@gmail.com

"Who's influenced you the most in your life?""My principal, Ms. Lopez.""How has she influenced you?""When we get in trouble, she doesn't suspend us. She calls us to her office and explains to us how society was built down around us. And she tells us that each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built. And one time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and she told each one of us that we matter."People were so touched by this young man's words that the author of Humans of New York, a book, a blog and the Facebook page, wanted to meet Ms. Lopez. HONY founder, Brandon, started taking photos of everyday New Yorkers and telling a bit about them back in 2010 since then he has almost 12,000,000 followers on Facebook and continues to help his community by raising awareness and funds.

HONY posted the portrait of a young man, Vidal, who described an influential principal in his life by the name of Ms. Lopez. Brandon of HONY fortunate to meet Ms. Lopez at her school, Mott Hall Bridges Academy.

“This is a neighborhood that doesn’t necessarily expect much from our children, so at Mott Hall Bridges Academy we set our expectations very high. We don’t call the children ‘students,’ we call them ‘scholars.’ Our color is purple. Our scholars wear purple and so do our staff. Because purple is the color of royalty. I want my scholars to know that even if they live in a housing project, they are part of a royal lineage going back to great African kings and queens. They belong to a group of individuals who invented astronomy and math. And they belong to a group of individuals who have endured so much history and still overcome. When you tell people you’re from Brownsville, their face cringes up. But there are children here that need to know that they are expected to succeed.”

Brandon spent an afternoon in a brainstorming session with Ms. Lopez and her Director of Programs Ms. Achu, trying to think of creative ways that the HONY community could help further the vision of Mott Hall Bridges Academy. Our discussion covered many needs, but we kept returning to one in particular-- the limited horizons of disadvantaged youth. Ms. Lopez’s school is situated in a neighborhood with the highest crime rate in New York, and many of her scholars have very limited mobility. Some of them are very much ‘stuck’ in their neighborhood. And many have never left the city. “It can be very difficult for them to dream beyond what they know,” Ms. Lopez explained.

So the three of them struck on an idea. (OK, it was Ms. Achu’s idea, but we all agreed.) We want to create a fund that will provide each incoming 6th grade class at Mott Hall Bridges Academy a chance to get out of their neighborhood and visit a new place. And that place is Harvard University. “I want every child who enters my school to know that they can go anywhere, and that they will belong,” said Ms. Lopez.

So we’re going to try to make it happen! Let’s help this visionary educator enrich the lives of her students.

One of the coolest things about this fundraiser is that it originated with a young man on the street, who chose to tell a stranger about the love and appreciation he had for his school principal. His name is Vidal, and I had a chance to reconnect with him during my visit to Mott Hall Bridges Academy. He could not possibly be a more polite or charismatic young man.

“I want to own my own restaurant,” he told me. “When I was little, I used to watch my mom cook. Then I started cooking for myself when I was nine. I’d get the ingredients myself at the corner store and make something for my brothers. I just thought it was a good thing for an older brother to do. I can make curry chicken, jerk chicken, curry goat, fried rice, macaroni and cheese, and all kinds of stuff.”“What would you say has been your biggest accomplishment?”“Getting publicity for my school.”

The fundraiser inspired by Vidal has been an overwhelming blessing for his school, and has raised over $570,000 to help provide much needed programs for his classmates. If you’d like to help expand upon its success, you can do so by contributing here: http://bit.ly/1JmIB8u

HONY are currently profiling Mott Hall Bridges Academy, a middle school in the under-served neighborhood of Brownsville, Brooklyn. As we learn about the school, its scholars, and its educators, HONY are also raising funds to provide a financial boost to the school’s mission. All funds raised over $700,000 are being used to establish a scholarship fund available to graduates of MHBA. The scholarship fund is named The Vidal Fund, after the young man who inspired the entire story. Nearly 30,000 people have donated so far. If you’d like to participate, you can do so here: https://life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/let-s-send-kids-to-harvard.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Spanish company, Bios Urn, has developed a fully biodegradable urn that allows people to grow a tree from the ashes of a loved one’s mortal remains.

The company hope the urn will offer users a natural and sustainable alternative for remembering those who have passed away.

On their website, the company claim their product has been designed for success with the top capsule of the urn being purposely built to facilitate the growth of the seed.

“Before burying the urn you have to mix the components with some soil from where you want to plant the urn. The components allow a proper seed germination,” they wrote.

“Thanks to Bios Urn structure, the seed germinates in the top capsule, separated from the ashes. Once the urn starts to biodegrade seed roots are already strong enough to contact the ashes. With biodegradation the entire set becomes part of the subsoil.”

Available for both people and pets, the product offers customers the ability to pick six different varieties of seeds including pine, ginkgo, maple, oak, ash and beech.

The urns can also be purchased years ahead of their use as the materials stay active as long as they remain in a relatively cool environment.

While the idea may not be for everyone, if you are looking for environmentally friendly burial option that personifies the cycle of the life, the Bios Urn could be for you.

A pine tree is just one of the options available. Picture: Braden Fastier

Some really nice pieces by Elie Tahari and Versace at 90% off but most of the other things were barely 50% off. Boss, Lily, Etienne Aigner, Samsonite, Paul & Shark, Hackett, Closet Candy, Franklin Marshall, Diesel, Georges Rech are a some of the brands available. Might be worth waiting until the last day when sometimes they heavily discount everything to get rid of it.

Learn tips, tricks and ways to capture different kinds of images with a camera during Adil Javed’s Candle Photography Workshop on Tuesday, 27 Jan, 7pm, at the Amricani Cultural Centre [map].

Also don’t miss the chance to participate in the ‘Candle Camera Challenge’, a competition between participants to see who takes the best picture. They will need to bring their own candles, cameras, props and tools to make their masterpiece. The winner will get a t-shirt, lens cleaning kit and a free outdoor workshop from studio-AJ.com. The workshop and challenge is limited to 15 participants, so register by emailing us at workshop@darmuseum.org.kw

Friday, January 23, 2015

Due to the recent sad passing away of HRH King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, King of Saudi Arabia, we have been informed of the government announcement that all schools will remain closed Sunday 25 January 2015.

Indian Women's Association presents an art exhibition at the Dar El Cid [map] in Jabriya on Feb 4, 5 and 6. The exhibition will feature Dr Tehseen Khan, who will present 'Tides of Life', and Dr Anupama Arora Malik, who will present ' Expressions Through Colours'. The exhibition will be inaugurated by Sami Mohammed, a pioneering contemporary artist of the Arab world. The exhibition will be open to viewing. For more information contact www.zeraah.com and facebook.com/AnupamaAroraMalik.

Hope you are doing well....I need help to find urgently a good home for this orange kitty....we have already 5 rescued cats in our home who became part of our family and I can't adopt him. Vaccinated and neutered, extremely sweet, Garfield-ish (male, approx. 11 months).

We saved him from our street - he was hit with a brick by some mean neighbor kids and his leg got badly infected. But after they took care of him in Royal, his leg healed wonderfully.

Please let me know if you or someone you know can help...

Currently, the kitty - we named him Cookie - resides in the cattery in Royal, we pay for him monthly to stay there.

We are looking for someone who loves and understands cats and who is willing to offer a permanent (indoors) home for this baby. We are looking for someone in Europe or United States and we are going to pay absolutely all travel expenses for the cat to travel from Kuwait to the respective country.

We rescued a black kitty from our street last May and we sent it to a friend of ours in Texas and the kitty is very happy in their home.

Back in action this Sunday January 25thABANDON: A complete surrender to natural impulses, freedom from inhibitions, restraint, concern or worry. ABANDON is a month long experimental workshop that utilizes Dance, Art and Yoga as pathways to inspire freedom, discovery, and connection to the body. Building strength and flexibility opens a door to our body’s natural expressions. The workshop will focus on breath, gravity, yoga asana, improvisation, and both stillness and movement using creative choreography and gesture drawing. Bring a lightheart, curiosity and a willingness to explore.Deena Qabazard @deenamachina is a Kuwaiti visual artist who was born and raised in the States. She threads art, dance and yoga to experiment with the physical/mental capabilities of the human body; a main topic explored in her artwork. Qabazard holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts from The Evergreen State College in Washington State, additionally a certified Hatha Yoga teacher trained by The Yoga One Studios in California, where she also taught yoga and dance.

The Messila Chamber Ensemble will present a Valentine's Day charity concert on 14 February in a beautiful sea-front setting in Messila on Saturday 14 February at 7.00 pm. Tickets atwww.ahmadimusicgroup.comor call 6618 4192.

Enjoy Valentine's Day romance, beautiful chamber music, an elegant beach-front setting, a delicious buffet supper and a chance to donate to helping 550 farm families in the Philippines whose village was devastated by Typhoon Yolanda.

The Messila chamber ensemble will play music of Mozart, Bizet and Schumann at 7.00 pm on Saturday 14 February at the beautiful Dar Noor in Messila, home of Sheikha Paula Al Sabah. The concert will start promptly so please arrive on time. Dress is romantic black tie or national dress.

Tickets are limited, please go to www.ahmadimusicgroup.com and book today. Please if possible choose the option to pay by KNet.

Matthew Youlden speaks nine languages fluently and understands more than a dozen more. He’s what is known as a polyglot, a member of the multilingual elite who speaks six or more languages fluently. He’s also a sociolinguist who studies the revitalization of minority languages. But to see him in action on a daily basis – deftly and comfortably talking to native-speakers in their own languages – suggests that he’s more than a polyglot. Matthew, who is originally from Manchester, England, is a language chameleon: Germans think he’s German, Spaniards think he’s Spanish, Brazilians think he’s Portuguese (he proudly speaks the good-old European variety).

By his own account, Matthew has mastered a staggering number of languages by utilizing abilities that we all possess: persistence, enthusiasm and open-mindedness. If your classic polyglot is an über-nerd who studies languages full-time, then Matthew is something different. His version of multilingualism doesn’t isolate him in an ivory tower; it connects him to people all over the world. According to Matthew, the more languages you speak, the more points of view you have:

“I think each language has a certain way of seeing the world. If you speak one language then you have a different way of analyzing and interpreting the world than the speaker of another language does. Even if they’re really closely-related languages such as Spanish and Portuguese, which are to a certain extent mutually intelligible, they are at the same time two different worlds – two different mindsets.

“Therefore, having learned other languages and been surrounded by other languages, I couldn’t possibly choose only one language because it would mean really renouncing the possibility to be able to see the world in a different way. Not in one way, but in many different ways. So the monolingual lifestyle, for me, is the saddest, the loneliest, the most boring way of seeing the world. There are so many advantages of learning a language; I really can’t think of any reason not to.”

Watch the video above to see him flex his skills in Irish, French, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, Hebrew and German.

MIT is just one of the other sources offering free courses and material online

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Lassana Bathily hid several shoppers in basement when gunman burst in upstairs in Paris kosher supermarket; Bathily 'enriches us by joining French nation,' official says.

Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve praised Muslim Lassana Bathily, 24, for his "courage" and "heroism" during a ceremony Tuesday in the presence of Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

Cazeneuve said Bathily's "act of humanity has become a symbol of an Islam of peace and tolerance."

Bathily was in the store's underground stockroom when gunman Amedy Coulibaly burst in upstairs on January 9 and killed four people. He turned off the stockroom's freezer and hid a group of shoppers inside before sneaking out through a fire escape to speak to police and help them with their operation to free the 15 hostages and kill the attacker.

Bathily emigrated to France from Mali in 2006. France has decided to award him French nationality for his bravery during the attacks.

Bathily is "a righteous one among the righteous who should serve as a role model to our youth," Pierre Henry, the president of the French government's refugee assistance agency, said, according to NBC.

"Lassana Bathily enriches us by joining the French nation," Henry said, NBC reported.

LWDLIK - A few things I found very uplifting about this story:

1. The above article was found on http://www.haaretz.com/ not that I ever read the Jewish daily news but when googling info on the story this article was in the top 3. [link].

2. Bathily, a Black Malian Muslim was employed by the Jewish kosher supermarket in Paris that was beseiged by terrorist, Ahmed Coulibaly. Kinda refutes the idea of all Jews being racist and anti-Muslim.

3. Bathily during a speech he gave on Euro News this morning also said he was very sad to lose his colleague and friend, Yohan Cohen, with whom he would chat and joke with daily. Yohan Cohen, 22, was one of the four Jewish victims shot dead by terrorist, Ahmed Coulibaly, inside the kosher supermarket.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Soon we will renovate our shop in Al Mohalab Centre, but before we do so, we offer up to 90% on thousands of items in our clearance outlet. Great discounts on luxury fashion for children as well as women's wear, men's wear and home accessories.

Monday, January 19, 2015

“I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they dress in rags, even if they aren’t pretty, or smart, or young. They’re still princesses.”

One World Actors Centre is proud to present an original adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic children's story 'A Little Princess'.

From the forests of India to snowy Edwardian London comes the remarkable adventure of a little girl whose courage is as big as her dreams. Raised in India, 11 year old Sara Crewe journeys to boarding school in London when her father is enlisted to serve in the British army for World War 1. When Captain Crewe goes missing, Sara must turn to her friends to remember that 'every little girl is a princess, wherever she may be.'

With influences from Indian folklore and with an original soundtrack, this heart-warming story will undoubtably be one for all the family to enjoy.

Auditions are open to girls and boys aged 8 to 15 and young women aged 16 to 20 and will be held at Bayt Lothan Cultural Centre, next to Marina Mall in Salmiya, on Saturday 24 January from 17.00-19.00.